New research by Leeds bioengineers may lead to longer lasting hip replacements
A team of bioengineers in Leeds are hoping new research will lead to longer lasting hip replacements.
About 60,000 hip replacement operations are carried out in the UK every year, but most fail within ten to 20 years because they become loose. Wear particles generated from the friction between the plastic hip joint socket and the metal or ceramic ball at the top of the femur causes the bone to wear away and the joint to become loose.
Newer types of hip replacement which are more wear-resistant than the older types of prosthesis are now available, and now a team led by Dr Joanne Tipper at Leeds University’s School of Mechanical Engineering, has been awarded funding of £83,000 from the Arthritis Research Campaign to find out more about exactly how they work over the next two years.
“Hip replacement surgery for patients over the age of 65 is one of the most successful surgical procedures currently performed, with the majority of prostheses surviving for 10-20 years,” explained Dr Tipper. “However, as the number of younger, more active patients increase, the length of time an implant lasts becomes an increasingly important issue.
"These newer implants, made from a type of durable plastic called crosslinked polyethene, are an attractive option, due to its improved wear resistance. However, the size of the wear particles is different, which may alter their biological activity in the body - if the wear particles are smaller they will cause less reaction and the implant should last longer. But this difference is not fully understood, and that’s what we want to find out.”
Higher resolution scanning electron microscopes are now available to scientists, enabling them to see previously unseen tiny, nano-metre sized particles.
“This research is important, because orthopaedic surgeons, manufacturers of hip replacements and in particular patients need this sort of information to make sure they are having the right implant for them,” added Dr Tipper.
